Q. Can I buy Property in Australia?A. Yes. If you are not a resident of Australia and you wish to invest here, you can. Broadly speaking, foreign investors can buy residential real estate, which is:

1.) "Off plan" i.e., designed and approved by the relevant planning authority, (usually the local council or shire authority), where construction has not yet commenced.2.) Under construction, but not yet completed

3.) Completed, but not yet lived in. Note: Once they have been lived in by a tenant, or owner, they cannot be legally sold to an "off shore" buyer.

Q. What type of property can I buy? A. All Residential, some commercial & rural zoned land plus property held under special title. Gold Coast Property Centre has a range of properties suitable for purchase by foreign investors.

Q. How many properties can I buy?A. As many as you wish.

Q. What Title is the Property held under?A. Australian property is held under Freehold Title, which is very safe and secure. When properties have a body corporate, which means there is more than one eg. high rise building, this is referred to as Group Title Freehold.

Q. How do I transfer money from my country to Australia? A. There are banks that specialise in transferring money around the world. If you are intending to purchase a property with overseas capital you will be, quite rightly, looking for savings. Foreign Payments offer Telegraphic Transfers and foreign drafts at individually negotiated rates and their charges are some of the most competitive in the industry. Their advisers will help you through every stage of your foreign exchange needs from sending you daily exchange rates (by e-mail), to supplying you with commission free currency for all your overseas travel.

Q. Do I pay tax on my investment properties rental income?A. Yes. As you earn income in Australia, you are subject to the taxation laws of this country. You also receive taxation benefits against that income because you are providing accommodation for tenants.

Q. Can I borrow money from an Australian bank to purchase a investment property?A. Finance is readily available to you by Australian banks and lending institutions at the same rate and on the same terms as Australian investors. There are very good loans available in both what we call 'no docs' and 'docs'. Doc loans require full information from the applicant including proof of income whereas no doc loans require less information and no proof of income.

Q. How much deposit will I need and are there any other fees? A. If you are buying outright without a loan ie. paying cash, a 20% to 40% deposit is required plus legal, stamp duty, loan, and purchasing costs which equate to about 6% of the property price. So if a property is $300,000 then add $18,000 to be safe and cover these acquisition costs. Incidentally, these same fees apply to an Australian citizen and vary from state to state.

Q. When do I need to pay the other fees?A. In Queensland, all fees are held and attended to on settlement. So if you place a deposit on a property, you have little else to pay until 1 month after the property settles, which is your first loan payment on monies borrowed. You can discuss this with our recommended lending representative. It generally goes very smoothly.

Q. Can I purchase an investment property from my country or do I need to fly over to Australia?A. Yes you can purchase a property from overseas; many clients including overseas investors leave it to us to select their properties. This works very well and there has never been any problems. If you choose to fly out to inspect the properties, check out our special offers. We can organise flight, accommodation, transport, entertainment, etc. The next step is to let us know your expected arrival date and itinerary.